The Sinn Fein TD for Dublin South West, Sean Crowe attended
today's protest meeting organised by farmers to highlight the
current income crisis. Deputy Crowe said he was there to
demonstrate his party s solidarity with the thousands of farming
families who are finding it increasingly difficult to survive.
Deputy Crowe also emphasised Sinn Fein's support for the right of
farmers to demonstrate, and his rejection of efforts to divide
working class and rural communities by a Government that is
responsible for the problems that afflict both.

Deputy Crowe said; Sinn Fein is fully behind those farmers who
are demanding that the Government take action to address the
crisis. We have called for the Minister to establish a Commission
to examine the state of Irish agriculture and in particular to
tackle the income crisis that is making it increasingly difficult
for thousands of family farms to survive.

It is clear that this Government, like all its predecessors over
the past 30 years, has no real vision for the future of Irish
agriculture. They are content to rely upon the hope that the
current level of EU subsidies will continue to compensate for the
lack of a long term strategy, while failing to develop policies
that will safeguard and expand the sector.

That disregard has again been demonstrated by the sweeping cuts
right across the spectrum of agricultural and rural development
programmes. While paying lip service to the concept of
modernisation and regeneration, the cuts contained in the
Estimates will ensure that Irish agriculture will be starved of
funds in vital areas, and that rural communities will be subject
to increased isolation and social decay.